Measuring gauge for fuel oil tanks



1946. A. RICHOLSON' v 2,410,525

MEASURING GAUGE FOR FUELOIL TANKS Filed 001;. 29, 1945 4/ INVENTOR.

M z 'aozaon Patented Nov. 5, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice 2,410,525 I MEASURING GAUGE FOR FUEL OIL TANKS Abraham L. .Richolson, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 29, 1945, Serial No. 625,376

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to measuring gauges for gauging the quantity of liquids in a tank, and particularly the quantity of oil in an oil tank where the tank contains fuel oil.

At the present time in the filling of a fuel oil tank each tank is provided with a quantity gauge so that the owner will be able to determine the quantity of oil in the tank at all'times, but the owner frequently fails to check the oil gauge before fillin and in this manner is unable to accurately determine the quantity of oil placed in the tank by the supplier. In addition the fuel gauge at present in use and available does not provide an accurate day to day measuring means whereby the user can accurately determine the quantity of fuel used from day to day, week to week or. month to month.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a gauge which is connected to the fuel tank, and which is provided with a normally closed valve between the gauge and the tank at the lower end of the tank, and gauge, and with a second air valve at the top of the gauge connecting an air pipe between the top of the gauge and the top of the tank. The two valves are interconnected for simultaneous operation so that the valves will be opened at the same time.

In the event the tank is filled before a reading is taken by the user, the exact quantity of fuel placed in the tank can be calculated at a later time by opening the two valves connected to the gauge so as to provide for the rise of the. oil in the gauge from its initial position, which determined the quantity of oil in the tank before filling, and when the valves are opened the liquid in the gauge will rise and the amount of oil placed in the tank can then be determined by a quantity scale at one side of the gauge.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of a gauge structure constructed according to. an embodiment of this invention and connected to the outlet side of a fuel tank.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1. p

Figure 3 is a sectionalview taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1'. p a I Figure 4.is a fragmentary plan view of the operator for the oil valve connected to the gauge.

Referringto the drawing the numeral I designates generally a tank which has connected thereto a pipe II in which a manually operated valve i2 is interposed. The pipe H has connected thereto one side of a T l3, and a second side of the T I3 has a fuel pipe l4 connected therewith. The pipe [4 is adapted to be-connected to a conventional oil burner for oil to the burner from the tank! 0. g

A gauge, generally designated as l5, 'is connected at its lower end to the T13. The gauge 55 includes a transparent tube lfi'which is connected to a nipple ll by means of a gland 1-8. The nipple I! is secured to one side of a second T l8a, and the T lBa has another side'thereof connected to the T l3by means of a pipe l9.

A valve 20 is interposed in the pipe I9, being of the spring-pressed type, which is normally urged to a closed position. The gauge structure I5 also includes a cap or gland member 2i secured to the upper end of the glass [6, and one side of an air valve 22 is secured to the ca 2|.

An air pipe line 23 is connected at one end to the other side of the air valve 22, and the opposite end of the pipe 23 is connected to the top of the tank iii. The valve 22 is a conventional petcock, having a rotatable plug 24, to which an operating lever 25 is secured.

supplying A second, oppositely extending arm 36, is secured to the plug 24, and is formed with an opening or eye through which the upper end of a valve operating link 21 is extended. The'link 2! is formed with a reverted upper end, as indicated at 28, and the terminal end of the reverted end portion 28 is upturned so as to provide a hook 29 with whichrone end of a spring 30 is engaged.

A metal, longitudinally split cylindrical guard 3i is disposed about the glass tube It, and is secured between the gland is, and the cap 2 l. The guard 3i snugly engages about the glass tube l6 so as to protect this tube and, prevent breakage thereof. ,The guard 3| is formed with a relatively wide side opening 3 2 so that thequantity of oil in the-tube It can be readilyseen.

The guard 3! has secured thereto a laterally extending lug 33 with whichthe lower end of the spring 30 is engaged. The link 2'! is formed with a right angular lower end 3 3 which is formed with an eye 35 loosely engaging about a threaded bar 36a. The bar 36a is threaded through a rock lever;or valve operating member 37, and the bar 36a, at its upper end, is formed with an eye 38 so as to limit the upward movement of the eye, 35 and provide for raising the lever 31 to valve opening position when lever 25is. rocked downwardly so as to raise arm 36.

The lever 37 is rockably mounted on a pivot 39 engaging through a pair of ears 40 carried by a bracket arm 4!. The arm 4| is mounted on the top of the valve .20 and the arm or lever side of the gauge structure l5, being supported l in vertical position by means of a bracket 46 which is secured to the cap 2|. The scale plate 45 is provided with graduations and indicia associated with the graduations to provide for accurate determination of the quantity of fuel oil in the tank ID, at any selected time.

In the use and operation of this gauge structure, assuming that the tank I is empty, the gauge glass 16 will also be empty of liquid. The supplier may fill the tank In, and with the valve members 20 and 22 in their normally closed positions, the amount of liquid placed in the tank It] will not register or appear in the gauge glass I6. After. the tank has been filled the exact amount of fuel .oil placed in the tank can be determined by rocking lever 25 downwardly so as to open the two valves 20 and 22. The fuel oil will then flow through the valve 20 upwardly into the gauge glass, the air in the gauge glass returning to the top of the tank.

The quantity of oil in the tank can now be determined by reading the graduation of the scale 45 atthe level of the liquid in the gauge glass 1-6. Lever 25 may then be released and spring will return valve 22 to its normally closed position, and weight 44 will lower operating lever 31 so that the stem 43 of valve 20 may be returned by its spring operator to closed position. The oil burner may then be operated in the usual manner, and the consumption of oil for a given period can be accurately determined by opening the valves 20 and 22 through rocking of lever 25.

As the quantity of oil in tank 10 is less than its first quantity which indicated a full tank, the level of oil in gauge glass is will also drop and the difierence between the second level, and the first or filled level will determine the consumption for the particular period.

When the supplier again fills the tank, and assuming that the tank was not entirely empty, the user of this device will initially rock lever 25 to open the two valves 20 and 22 so that the oil in the gauge glass l6 will accurately indicate the quantity of oil in the tank 10 before refilling. The valves 20' and 22 are then closed by releasing the lever 25. Tank 10 is then filled or partially filled with oil and as valves 20 and 22 are closed the leve1 of oil in gauge glass l6 will not rise to the level of the oil in tank 10. After the supplier completes discharging oil in tank I0, the user can accurately determine the amount of oil received by reading the gauge 16 on scale 45 before valves 20 and '22 are reopened. This valve may then be opened permitting 'the oil from tank H] to pass into the gauge tube'lfi whereupon a second reading will show the amount of fuel in the tank after the supplier has completed delivery. The difference between the two levels of "the oil in the gauge glass 1-6- will accurately determine the amount of fuel supplied, which should check with the delivery receipt.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the kind described a fluid supply tank having an upper laterally extending pipe, and a lower pipe extending laterally in the same direction as the upper pipe, a gauge tube extending upwardly between so as to be connected at opposite ends to said pipes, a valve in the upper end of said tube controlling the fluid flow from the upper pipe thereinto, a valve tapped into the lower pipe, a Vernier extending coextensively with said tube on the side thereof, opposite to the last named valve, an operating hand lever connected to the valve for the upper pipe, projecting at right angles to the length of said Vernier, a lever, means pivotally mounting one end of said lever to the lower pipe, and its intermediate end to the valve for the lower pipe, for opening and closing the latter valve, a spring having one end fixedly carried between the ends of said tube, on its side opposite to said Vernier, and a link connected at its lower end to said lever, having a looped portion extending over, around and depending from said operatin hand lever and terminating in a hook to which the other end of the spring is secured, whereby said looped portion may be held in engagement with said hand lever at all times.

2. In combination with a liquid tank having a gravity flow discharge pipe at its lower end, a level gauge attachment to said pipe comprising a transparent tube, means connecting the upper end of said tube to said tank, a connection between the lower end of said tube and said pipe, a pair of valves carried by the oppositely acting connections between said tank and said tube and between the tube and said pipe, dual spring and weight means for normally maintainin said valves closed, means connecting said valves together for simultaneous movement, and an operating lever carried by one of said valves wherein the valve on the connection between said tube and said pipe includes a lever seated on said valve to close it but supportedly connected to said valve, an upstanding bolt carried by said lever connected to one end of the means connecting the valves together and a spring urged link connecting the other end of the latter means to the other valve.

3. A level gauge attachment comprising a laterally extending inlet pipe, a transparent tube secured at its lower end thereto, caps at each end of said tube, a pair of valves, one connected to the upper end of said tube and the other one to said inlet pipe, a pivoted weighted lever carried by said inlet pipe, an upstanding bolt carried by said lever, a rod formed with an eye at one end loosely engaging said bolt and formed with a returned portion looping over and around and terminating in a hook, and a spring fixed at one end to said tube and at the other end to the hook end of said rod to thereby provide for simultaneous opening and closing of both of said valves, and a valve operating arm for opening the upper valve by a lifting action against the returned looped portion of said rod.

ABRAHAM L. RIC-HOLSON. 

